Podcast: Twitter Is As Good A News Source As Bathroom Graffiti

In this episode of Our Last Week, Anuvab Pal and Kunaal Roy Kapur greet each other and wonder about the function of greetings in our society today. People don't ask, "how do you do?" anymore, they go directly for "what do you do?" as if that is more important. Besides, whenever someone greets you properly, there's always the danger that they have a hidden agenda.

People don't ask, "how do you do?" anymore, they go directly for "what do you do?" as if that is more important.

Next, the duo wonders about hat lengths people will go to in order to make moments memorable. It has become more important for a moment to be memorable in photos and videos than for it to be just enjoyed with family and friends. People start doing things like smearing cake on birthdays to make moments more memorable, but then they get bored of the new excitement and look for something crazier. It's a never-ending trip.

Do we live in a post-truth world where nothing we read or hear can be trusted or believed? We have become so sceptical that even before we hear something, we are already ready to disbelieve it. In fact, we ask questions of other people in a way that makes it easier for us to be prepared to show scepticism for their answer.

Their final conundrum for the season is the function of Twitter in our lives. Does Twitter allow our real selves to be expressed, in all their brutal ugliness? We get to be anonymous and so we unleash our real thoughts on the world, thoughts that would otherwise go to the grave with us because they are too impolite to be expressed in any kind of society. This makes them question the intelligence of people who think that it's okay to get all their news from Twitter. Would you get your news from graffiti printed across bathroom doors, they ask?

Listen to Kunaal and Anuvab for the last time this year on Our Last Week. To hear more episodes please click here.